Zaccheroni urges confidence from Japan

Japan will be focusing on themselves rather than the opposition when the FIFA World Cup gets underway next month.

Published

13 May 2014

Alberto Zaccheroni's Japan will be up against Colombia, Greece and Ivory Coast in Group C in Brazil, their fifth consecutive appearance at the showpiece event.

Japan breezed through the Asian qualification section en route to the World Cup finals, attracting plenty of admirers for their possession-based brand of football under the Italian tactician.

And Zaccheroni is counting on his team to maintain their physically demanding high-tempo football, having defeated World Cup outsiders Belgium in November's international friendly, while they also drew with the Netherlands three days prior.

"I want my players to perform as I know they can on the world stage," said Zaccheroni, who named his 23-man squad on Monday.

"I want them not to think about the other team so much as to concentrate on their own game.

"The players know the team concept and tactics. The thing to be careful of is our physical fitness.

"When we haven't played well it has generally been down to our lack of fitness. The type of game we play demands that the players are up to it physically."

Meanwhile, defender Maya Yoshida has declared himself fit and ready for the World Cup.

The Southampton player was included by Zaccheroni, despite suffering a season-ending knee injury in March, and the 25-year-old says he will be ready for Japan's opening game against Ivory Coast in Recife on June 14.

"I have re-joined full training session (in Southampton) since beginning of this week, I don't have any problems," said Yoshida, capped 35 times by the national team.

"My feeling is much better more than before the London Olympics. I'm not worry very much."

Japan will face Cyprus in an international friendly on May 27, before travelling to the United States for a training camp where they will continue their preparations for the World Cup with games against Costa Rica and Zambia.